Title: A Governess's Guide to Passion and PerilAuthor: Manda Collins
Series: Ladies Most Scandalous #4
Pages: 304
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
Publisher: Forever
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
Jane Halliwell once dreamed of a home of her own—but those dreams (and her dowry) died with her father. Now, she works as a governess, preparing her charge for a future no longer within her reach. When her employer is murdered during a house party, however, Jane is forced back into the world of the ton. But stepping in as hostess will require working with the same lord who once broke her girlish heart.
Lord Adrian Fielding was too consumed with his job at the Foreign Office to pay young Jane much heed, but he always considered her a friend. Which is why he’s confounded by her icy demeanor now. More troubling still is his desire to melt the tensions between them. But his mentor’s murder means he must first find the culprit—and ensure Jane’s safety as she manages a house full of foreign dignitaries.
Only Jane insists on joining the investigation, and Adrian, despite all his diplomatic skills, finds himself seduced by her sharp wit and sparkling eyes. But with a vicious killer circling ever closer, will it soon be too late for their chance at forever?
I’ve really enjoyed the Ladies Most Scandalous series, and this book was a fun conclusion to it. The story follows Jane, who has become a governess after her father’s suicide and the family’s ruination, and Adrian, who worked with Jane’s father and whom Jane has had a crush on for years. When Jane’s employer, who also worked with Jane’s father and Adrian, is murdered, Jane and Adrian work together to investigate.
Jane had a crush on Adrian when she was younger, and she was hurt when he wasn’t there to support her and her mother after her father’s death. Unbeknownst to Jane, a concerned Adrian has been searching for her for a while since he doesn’t know what happened to her. I like that the pair work out their miscommunication early in their romance. They have a past burdened with tragedy and trauma, and the fact that they talk about what happened and how they felt so early on in their reconnection was great. They have a lot of chemistry, and they work really well together when trying to solve the murders that plague Adrian’s colleagues.
Though the love story is low stakes, the mystery surrounding the death of Jane’s father, as well as several others who work with the Foreign Office, is not. Jane, Adrian, and others embark on an intriguing and potentially deadly investigation, and the closer they get to identifying the killer, the more danger they’re in. It makes for a suspenseful read!
If you read the other books in the series, you’ll be happy to know that Caro, Poppy, and Kate have supporting roles in this book. I love that! These women are all so fantastic, and I love how strongly they support each other. If you haven’t read the other book in the series, no worries! This can easily be read as a standalone.
Special thanks to Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Manda Collins grew up on a combination of Nancy Drew books and Jane Austen novels, and her own brand of Regency romantic suspense is the result. A former academic librarian, she holds advanced degrees in English Lit and Librarianship. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Bookpage, and USA Today. A native of Alabama, she lives on the Gulf Coast with a very stubborn cat and more books than are strictly necessary.
Your new header is so cute x
Thanks, Melanie! I’m loving it. 🙂
This sounds like a fun series! I’ll have to go see if my library has the first book. Great review!
Thanks! It is a fun series!